RT Journal Article
T1 Non-uniformly and totally polarized beams propagating through chiral media
A1 Piquero Sanz, Gemma María
A1 Sande, J.C.G. de
A1 Suárez Bermejo, Juan C.
A1 Santarsiero, Massimo
AB Non-uniformly and totally polarized (NUTP) beams propagating through chiral media are investigated. These beams have been proven to be useful in fields like polarimetry for the determination of the Mueller matrix of a sample, particle manipulation, etc. In this work, we consider the effects of a chiral medium (i.e., a medium exhibiting circular birefringence and circular dichroism) on the propagation of such beams, and we study the evolution of the transverse irradiance and polarization patterns, both inside the sample and in the free space after the sample, in connection with the optical properties of the medium. In particular, we focus on a class of NUTP beams that preserve their transverse irradiance and polarization pattern during paraxial propagation, in free space or through ABCD optical systems, and the advantages of using them. Conditions are established such that beams remain polarization-invariant after exiting the chiral medium, and simple procedures are presented to gain information about the optical properties of a chiral sample through a suitable choice of the input beam and irradiance measurements across the section of the output beam. These findings highlight the potential of NUTP beams as a versatile tool for investigating optical activity in several fields, such as pharmacology, medicine, and biology.
PB Elsevier
SN 0030-3992
YR 2026
FD 2026-01
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/126429
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/126429
LA eng
NO G. Piquero, J.C.G. De Sande, J.C. Suárez-Bermejo, M. Santarsiero, Non-uniformly and totally polarized beams propagating through chiral media, Optics & Laser Technology 193 (2026) 114160. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.optlastec.2025.114160.
NO © 2025 Elsevier Ltd.
NO European Commission
NO Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (España)
NO European Commission
DS Docta Complutense
RD 21 ene 2026